Page 20 - 2106-17 Wilmington Visitor Guide

Family
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Every parent knows the secret to keeping everyone happy is mixing things up — a little outdoor time, a little indoor time, and a little quiet time for mom and dad when the kids can entertain themselves. Mix and match from these ideas to find your perfect family getaway.
SPORTS NIGHT
The WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS play minor league baseball at Frawley Stadium at the WILMINGTON RIVERFRONT, and kids will enjoy regular theme nights, fireworks on Fridays, and Sunday Family Fundays with pre-game autograph sessions and a chance to run the bases after the game. There’s lots for kids to do when the DELAWARE 87ERS take the court for minor league basketball at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. Arrive early to enjoy the Kids Zone with inflatables and other games, and stay after to take a shot from the free-throw line and get autographs from players.
GARDEN VISITS
Though the Brandywine
Valley offers some of the most undisputedly beautiful landscape architecture in the country . . .
it might take more than that to get the kids excited. Fortunately, these gardens were designed to entertain young and old alike. Let the kids discover the magic and mystery of the Enchanted Woods at WINTERTHUR MUSEUM, GARDEN AND LIBRARY, where fairy creatures have transformed tulips into tree houses, trolls might live under the bridge and kids can climb into a giant birds
nest. LONGWOOD GARDENS offers an indoor children’s garden and three treehouses
to climb and explore, from the heights of the Birdhouse to
the two-story grandeur of the Canopy Cathedral. HAGLEY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY has hands-on experiences for kids year round, from regular Science Saturdays to the annual Invention Convention.
ON THE RIVERFRONT
From anywhere in downtown Wilmington, you can make your way on foot to the Riverfront. It’s a playground for young and old alike, indoors and outdoors, at every time of year. In warmer months, kids can challenge their parents to 18 holes at the RIVERWALK MINI GOLF. KALMAR NYCKEL, the tall ship of Delaware, offers Christina River cruises from Dravo Plaza. (Check schedules for when the ship is in town.) You can catch the latest blockbusters in IMAX (and grab a beer for mom and dad) inside PENN CINEMA, or challenge the American Ninja Warrior-inspired course (complete with warped wall!) inside the STRATOSPHERE TRAMPOLINE PARK. The RIVERFRONT MARKET is a perfect choice for family lunch, with a range of options
from sushi to cheesesteaks. Explore
the edges of the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge at the DUPONT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER, and when the days get colder, the HORIZON SERVICES RIVERFRONT RINK opens for
a season of skating under the lights.
At the DELAWARE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, you can keep children entertained
for hours with hands-on exhibits that focus on science and technology. Your tour will undoubtedly start inside the Stratosphere — a 30-foot-wide (and tall) spherical maze to climb under, over and through — before moving on to the rest of the exhibits, where kids can direct the path of rivers, build structures with giant blocks and take part in daily activities.
18 | Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley |
@VisitWilmington | GreaterWilmingtonCVB
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